“Is your husband there? His loan is ready,” said the bank officer on the phone. After questioning him, I told him that neither my husband nor I had applied for any loan, especially one from a bank in Turtle Creek since we lived in the North Hills. I could hear the condescension in his voice when he replied, “Are you sure he didn’t apply for
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Whether bubbling, spraying, dancing, or cascading, there’s something inviting, relaxing, and hypnotic about a fountain. Pittsburgh has no shortage of fountains. In fact, the calling card to our city is a water fountain—the Point State Park fountain—and fittingly so, since our city’s founding hinged upon the favorable location of being near our three large, navigable rivers. The landmark fountain at the point is majestic, with
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It is estimated that only 56% of businesses make it past their fifth year. How fortunate is Pittsburgh, then, that the city has numerous businesses that have been around for more than 100 years. Many of them are now large, multi-national corporations—household names–but there are some smaller, lesser-known entities that have survived for more than a century that you should know. The following are some
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Embodying both the devilish and divine, Brooklyn based goth-folk duo, Charming Disaster, is set to perform at the Wigle Whiskey Barrel House and Beer Garden on 1055 Spring Garden Avenue from 7-9pm on July 27th. This is not Charming Disaster’s first time playing in Pittsburgh, but their return is greatly anticipated from fans and local music lovers alike as they will perform songs from their
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It was a dark and stormy night. A dog, lost, hungry and afraid, seeks refuge in an abandoned garage. He is eventually discovered and taken to a local pet shelter by a sympathetic police officer. And so begins the tale of Ducky, named by a shelter employee for his peculiar appearance, part Pit Bull, part Basset Hound, making him an “odd duck” indeed. The book
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When I began reading The Best Seven Years of My Life: The Story of an Unlikely Caregiver, co-written by George Shannon and his son Chad Patrick Shannon, it was with a sense of scepticism. It is the story of a couple from Sewickley, PA nearing retirement age whose lives are cruelly disrupted when the wife suffers several devastating strokes. Told from the viewpoint of Carol’s
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Tucked away off Woodland Drive near Chatham University, a wonderfully eclectic residence remains one of Pittsburgh’s crown jewels of unorthodox architecture. The Abrams House, as it is affectionately called, is the work of Pritzker Architecture Prize-Winner Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown. The house oozes of postmodern style and is a testament to the curated, quirky style of late owner Betty Abrams. And while this
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There is a saying: a rising tide lifts all boats. That certainly applies to Harbison-Walker International. Founded in Pittsburgh, Harbison-Walker’s refractories and its success enabled Andrew Carnegie to build his steel mills and establish Pittsburgh as the economic powerhouse known as Steel City. The company was founded in 1864 by J. K. Lemon and ten other Allegheny County residents. It was originally called the Star
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From the time that chemistry student Charles Martin Hall discovered the process for producing aluminum, the metal has had a huge impact on Pittsburgh. From establishing the city as Alcoa’s–The Aluminum Company of America–world headquarters to creating thousands of jobs and producing numerous materials from aluminum, there may be no grander testament to aluminum’s impact on our city than the Alcoa Building itself. Now known
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The Frick Mansion, Clayton; The Bayernhof; and Millionaire’s Row—Pittsburgh has seen its share of mansions, but it has never seen the likes of the 34-room Bell Acres mansion built by businessman Joseph Nocito Sr., the former CEO and President of Automated Health Systems Inc. The Pittsburgh-based company administered public health programs for state and local government, and Nocito was indicted in 2018 by a federal
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